“Mining has only resulted in displacement of lakhs of tribal families instead of creating jobs for them”

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday urged the governments in the mineral-rich Naxal-affected States to focus on development of agriculture and implementation of rural development programmes instead of focusing on mining to create employment. Addressing a gathering of Dongaria and Kutia Kandha tribal groups on the foothills of Niyamgiri hills in this tribal-dominated block of Kalahandi district, Mr. Ramesh underlined the need for prioritising agriculture and rural development saying that mining in the country’s mineral-rich States such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand had only added to the people’s miseries. Mining had only resulted in displacement of lakhs of tribal families instead of proving to be beneficial for them, he added.

In a bid to find alternate source of bauxite for the Lanjigarh alumina refinery of the Vedanta Alumininium Ltd (VAL), which is shut down for want of raw material since December 5, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) has decided to apply for mining lease of Karlapat bauxite deposits soon.

OMC had entered into a Mou with VAL for supply of bauxite from its Niyamgiri mines in Kalahandi district, but the plan was derailed by persistent protests by tribal community and green activists, finally leading to the cancellation of forest clearance for the mining activity by Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in August 2010.

Despite concerns from several quarters including the Odisha High Court, bio-medical waste management and handling in different government hospitals including three state-run medical colleges and ho

Sharing the concerns of the Dongria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri in Kalahandi district whose protests had put a halt to Vedanta’s bauxite mining plan two years ago, over hundreds of tribals, under the

Early this month, billionaire Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Group was forced to shut its one million tonnes per annum alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Odisha’s Kalahandi district due to unavailability of bauxite, 15 years after state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation signed over its rights to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills to the group firm.

The group has invested Rs 30,000 crore in six years to set up the aluminium business under Vedanta Aluminium, believing it would be able to get approvals for captive bauxite mines by the time the facilities get commissioned. Eventually, it commissioned a 1 mtpa refiner, a 0.5 mtpa smelter and a 1,215 Mw captive power plant, but approval for bauxite mining did not come.

‘The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay recovery of entry tax dues amounting to more than R350 crore, payable on goods imported by companies for their plants and services in Orissa between 2008 and 2012. Companies including Vedanta Aluminium and Tata Steel have been slapped notices over these dues.

A bench headed by Justice HL Dattu, while issuing notice to the state government, refused to grant interim stay against the Orissa High Court’s order that upheld the state’s decision to tax the import of capital goods under the provisions of the Orissa Entry Tax Rules, 1999. However, the state government said it will not take any coercive action against the firms.

Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL), on Wednesday, shut down its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, and stopped feeding bauxites and started washing its tanks.

After Vedanta closed its aluminum refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district of Odisha today, citing paucity of bauxite, the primary raw material to refine aluminium, all eyes are now on the Supre

Bhubaneswar: Seeking to steer clear of the controversial Niyamgiri mining project, Vedanta Group chief Anil Agarwal today asked the Odisha government to immediately provide bauxite for running the

BHAWANIPATNA: Pests and diseases have affected paddy crop in the irrigated pockets of Indravati during the last fortnight, causing anxiety among farmers of Kalahandi district.